The Perfect Score
by Miss.Meiks
Summary: Elphaba makes a foolish comment whilst trying to console Galinda that comes back to bite her in the butt. Gelphie


_**Disclaimer:**__ Wicked and all its characters belong to Gregory Maguire, and the more famous characters belong to L. F. Baum. I'm just borrowing them._

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Elphaba's eyes poked over the back of a worn looking volume, the contents of which remained unknown to the world as its title had long since been rubbed away by the ages. She had, as usual for an evening after a long afternoon of heavy study, jack-knifed herself in one corner of her bed with a good book. However it was becoming increasing difficult to read as her roommate paced and grumbled on to herself over something.

Cool brown eyes rolled before glancing back down to her page in yet another attempt to read in peace. And the blonde continued to gallivant around the room, flipping her arms in the air every once and again, making further spectacle of herself. Elphaba sighed heavily, for the fourth time that night, trying to give the rooms other occupant a hint to quiet down. Galinda did nothing but shoot her a wicked glance through her tirade.

With a small snarl as a dark lip curled itself up in annoyance Elphaba slammed her book shut, her full attention now on her roommate who paced the room like an agitated animal that had been locked up.

"MISS Galinda," she emphasized the article before the name in exasperation, "If you wouldn't mind _being quiet_, I for one would greatly appreciate it." She tried to keep her tone even, but couldn't help but notice a small growl still found its way in there.

The blonde whipped around with a ferocity that almost took Elphaba by surprise, though her face managed to hide that reaction. Curls settling back into place, Galinda half stomped her foot as she began to speak.

"MISS Thropp," the shorter girl mimicked her roommates emphasis, "I for one would greatly appreciate it if you would _leave me be_. However that obviously isn't going to happen anytime soon – and do you hear me complaining about _that_?"

Her voice decidedly had a bite to it, but at the same time there was an almost tortured after tone. This cause Elphaba to hold back the comeback 'Why yes I do hear you complaining about it," and instead settle on rolling her eyes once more before rethinking her next comment.

"Miss Galinda I'm merely asking you to quite your incessant antics so that I can focus. Your constant grumbling makes it hard for me to get to the point where I can ignore you." The verdant woman replied calmly, picking up her book to hide her face behind it once more.

Galinda stood her ground for a moment before her entire attitude began to crumble. It started with her shoulders sagging, and then her lip trembling ever so slightly. The silence said it all and Elphaba gave a silent sigh while looking up towards the sky asking for patience from a being she didn't believe in. The silence was broken with a small hiccup, before the somewhat wavering voice of the blonde echoed in the room once more.

"Elphaba you _mean_ green _thing _you." Said thing poked her eyes above the book once more, mildly alarmed that the heaviest parts of the insult lay around the word green without necessarily incorporating it. After a second she also raised a single brow in acknowledgement. "Can't you show a little compassion, for _once_ in your life?"

"Miss Galinda I assure you I know not of what you're speaking about. I'm very compassionate." Elphaba spoke flatly.

"For a creature _other_ than an animal. Or Animal for that matter." Galinda caught her breath as she spoke in an attempt to keep her tears at bay for a moment longer.

"Miss Galinda, I don't know if you've cared to notice, but no one wants _any_ attention from a, oh what was that divine little name you and your fellows came up with? Green bean? Let alone _compassion_ from one. Vegetables don't give shoulders to cry on, it simply isn't done." Elphaba's lips curved into a smirk as she finished speaking, trying to goad the blonde into a battle of wits to avoid the tears that were threatening.

"Oh I have much better things to do than waste my time being insult by the likes of you Miss Elphaba," The blonde huffed as she sat on the edge of her bed and crossed her arms over her chest.

The room remained silent for a good couple of minutes. Furthermore there seemed to be no tears being shed. With a conquering smile Elphaba looked back down to her book and began to scan the page for where she'd left off. She hadn't yet read two words when a tiny voice spoke to the room.

"Aren't you even going to ask me what's bothering me?" The question was barely audible, as if the person who asked it wasn't sure if they wanted to say it or not.

Against her better judgment Elphaba closed her book softly and looked across the room. Galinda was looking at her with possibly the most pitiful face ever seen on anybody's face in all of Oz. The makeup around her eyes had started to run as a few silent tears escaped, only adding to the whole pitiful puppy dog pout. Elphaba exhaled deeply before speaking.

"What's bothering you my sweet?"

"It's the Algebra Profess – wait. What did you just call me?" Galinda's pitiful look turned to one of confusion in an instant.

"You told me to show compassion." The green girl gave a half-hearted shrug from her corner.

"So your compassion is calling me 'my sweet'? You know what, never mind. We had a test in Algebra the other day. And the professor gave back the scores today." Galinda paused; taking so long Elphaba wasn't sure she was ever going to hear the end of the story.

"And?" She prompted after waiting with a slight amount of patience for a minute.

The blonde looked up from where her eyes had fallen to watching her thumbs twiddle in her lap. Her tears had started again, with a vengeance. She bit back a couple of inhales before losing her control and wailing.

"I FAILED!"

Elphaba jumped a bit at the noise, and pulled her feet towards her body as if her roommate's tears were going to reach her from across the room. Lip pulling upward in distaste (though she tried to remain 'compassionate') she forced a smile out of what would have been a scowl.

"Is that _all_?"

"What do you mean 'is that _all_'? It's horrible!" The blonde sniffled and hiccoughed as she spoke.

"Well the way you carried on one would think you'd just lost your precious little doggie," a green hand waved in dismissal. "I'm merely saying there are worse things."

Galinda pulled a straight face for a moment before managing in an even tone, "What do you mean there are worse things. You're like the queen of studies and homework; you can't possibly be able to think of something worse than a failing grade."

"Well of course not." She admitted, which seemed to calm the blonde a little bit before she added, "For _me_."

Galinda wiped a hand under her eye as her face grew stern. "What was that?"

"It's just simple Galinda. I mean of course there is nothing to say against your intelligence but you allocate your time elsewhere, of course it would detract from your studies. Honestly I'm surprised that you manage to get half decent grades at all." Elphaba shrugged matter-of-factly.

Galinda stood in a fit of rage, voice rising once more.

"Miss Thropp I am . . . _appalled_. How could you say such a thing to me? Don't you think I could get a perfect score on _any_ test if I tried?" small hands curled into tight fists at the girl's sides.

"Please Miss Galinda, if you ever got a perfect score on a test – outside of possibly the _social sciences_," Elphaba mentally applauded herself for her pun, "I . . . Why, I don't know what I'd do. I'd . . . well. . ." She paused for a moment in though and could think of nothing witty for what had to be the first time in her life before she simply spit out the first thing to come to mind. "I'd kiss you full on the mouth!"

An awkward silence spread through the room, neither opponent really knowing what to say to that last comment. Elphaba's face turned a shade darker as the seconds ticked by. Finally it was Galinda who broke the silence.

"Was that supposed to inspire me to try my best? Because frankly I'm thinking that I might purposely fail all my tests if that's my reward."

"Well I'm glad to have put things in perspective for you," Elphaba cleared her throat uneasily before pulling the book back in front of her face, "Now _please_, be quiet."

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That was almost a year ago. It's funny, the amount of things that can happen in such a short time. The people who come and go from one's life, the seasons that change, the friendships that bloom.

It was strange, that the two roommates that had so hated each other at the beginning of the year, where now. Well. Friends. So much had happened, and changed. For better, in some cases; and for worse in others. Even more, it was strange, how such loathing could turn into something else entirely in such a short amount of time. The two went from bickering constantly to having almost an almost equal playing field on any topic (although Elphaba still excelled at academics and Galinda still won when it came to popularity). And, it was strange that they helped each other to learn and grow where one lacked and the other didn't.

Taking it a step further it was strange how such help could drastically change their friendship in a matter of seconds. For better, or for worse.

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"Elphie!" a voice echoed through the hall of the dormitories as a certain blonde hurtled down it. She silently thanked whatever being had planned her return to the dormitories when there was no one in the halls. She fumbled with her key for a split second before ripping open the door and calling out again.

"Elphie!"

The owner of the name jumped, and looked up from her desk with an odd expression. A look that landed between exasperation and curiosity. Didn't the blonde know this was Elphaba's studying time? And with finals drawing near she certainly had no time to waste with distractions. In the end though, curiosity won out.

"What is it Glinda?" the green girl asked politely, a bemused smile working its way onto her face.

"You'll never _guess_ what just happened!" The blonde couldn't conceal the proud, beaming smile on her face if she'd wanted to.

"Hmm, a stampede of Elephants just took down Morrible's office, and now she looks even more like a trout than before?" Elphaba replied with a façade of honest curiosity.

"Pfft, no." Glinda rocked back and forth on her heels, her smile still from ear to ear. It was obvious at this point she was hiding something behind her back. She waited for Elphaba to guess again, and when the room's other occupant never did, Glinda started to talk again.

"There was an Algebra test last week. Guess who aced it?" The blonde giggled softly under her breath.

"Really? Galinda that's wonderful, I'm so glad to hear that Boq has been doing well in his worst subject." Elphaba teased lightly.

"Elphie," Glinda chided in a sing-song voice before pulling a paper from behind her back, showing it off with pride. Across the top, right over where the curly writing of Glinda's name was scrawled, was the teacher's red pen. It read: 100%.

"See? With a little more studying _anything _is possible," Elphaba teased again, pushing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Do you know what that means?" Glinda commented slyly, ignoring her friend's taunts.

"Uhm . . . Momsie and Popsicle will be so proud they'll put it up on the icebox?" It was clear by her tone that this time Elphaba really was at a loss for what Glinda meant.

"No," Glinda sang again, giggling smoothly. For some reason the gesture made a shudder run down Elphaba's spine. A short silence spanned the room in which Glinda waited for her verdant roommate to try again, which didn't happen. So instead Glinda stepped lightly across the room, her hips waving back and forth with each step.

"It means," She started saying as each step brought her closer to Elphaba, "That I get a kiss."

Brows furrowed over a set of silky brown eyes in confusion. Elphaba remained silent, trying to keep a confident eye lock with the cool blue irises before her.

"You don't remember," Glinda chuckled, "Do you?"

The green girl swallowed heavily, although her mouth had long since dried. She opened her mouth to reply, and then thought better of it not trusting her voice to remain even, she settled for shaking her head slowly, never once breaking eye contact.

"Waaaay back at the beginning of the year," Glinda prompted, now standing right before Elphaba, she bent at her middle to bring her head level to Elphaba's sitting level. "You said something silly," the blonde's voice nearly sung with amusement, "Something about giving _someone_ a kiss if they ever got a perfect score."

"You mean you're holding me to _that_?" Elphaba spoke softly, fearing any louder and her voice would crack in surprise at the situation playing out before her eyes.

"Mmmhmm." Glinda nodded her head slowly and did nothing else.

With another swallow Elphaba leaned forward and gave her roommate a peck on the cheek. Her face now several shades a darker green than normal. Glinda herself seemed a few shades pinker as well, but this didn't stop her from adopting her usual pout.

"I believe what you said was: 'If you ever get a perfect score – I'll kiss you full on the lips!'" Galinda raised her eyebrows, completing the pleading face.

There was another pause, longer this time. Blue eyes stared into brown. There wasn't a sound in the room except the other's breathing. A fact which made Elphaba, for one, realize how close they actually were. It was almost unnerving. No, it _was_ unnerving. Hesitation danced in brown eyes as Elphaba looked up to meet Glinda's look. With a nearly silent tsk, Glinda reach out and grabbed the green girl's collar and pulled her closer. With a deep inhale Elphaba gathered what courage she could and leaned the rest of the way in.

And they kissed.

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_**A/N:**__ This is my first fanfiction, so . . . please be kind! ''':3_


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